Author: Angie Fox
Publisher: Season Publishing
Publication Date: October 2013
Length: 308
Series: Demon Slayer (#2)
Reason for Discovery: Galley
Finally! A book that I can count towards #COYER (it is galley that I received from the publisher).
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Demon slaying powers should come with an instruction book ...Seriously.
Why does a new hair dryer have a twelve-page how-to manual, but when it
comes to ancient demon-fighting hocus-pocus, my biker witch granny
gives me just half a dozen switch stars and a rah-rah speech? Oh, and a
talking terrier, but that's another story. It's not like my job as a
preschool teacher prepared me for this kind of thing. So I've
decided to write my own manual, The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers,
because no one tells me anything. Dimitri, my "protector," may be one
stud of a shape-shifting griffin, but he always thinks he can handle
everything by himself. Only he's no match for the soul-stealing succubi
taking over Las Vegas. If I can't figure out how to save him - and Sin
City - there'll be hell to pay.
In The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers, Lizzie is about to visit Las Vegas with her grandmother (a biker witch), her grandmother's biker gang of witches, her boyfriend Dimitri (a shape-shifting griffin), and her dog. At the end of the last book, Lizzie got word that her fairy godfather is about to marry a succubus. Succubi (at least in this universe) are not exactly known for their friendly behavior, and Lizzie and her gang are going to Las Vegas to save him and put an end to the succubi threat.
The book cover and the blurb sold me. This sounded like a fun romp. I knew this was a sequel going into the book, and I decided that I would give the first few pages a try, and if I couldn't follow the story, I would go read the first book (I remember seeing it for free on Amazon in the past). Fortunately, the book does a decent job of explaining what you need to know to read this book. This alone gives this book major bonus points. I hate when sequels refuse to give you any background. What happens if it has been a while since I read the previous book? Why do so many series expect me to do rereads or take notes before each new book in a series comes out? Anyway, if you are new to this series, you are given enough information to follow along. At the same time, the background information isn't written in huge info dumps, so if you have read the first book, you will not be bored. I remember being a kid and being so annoyed that the first chapter of each Babysitter's Club book was almost word-for-word the same.
Alright, so let's talk about this book! This was a fun, action book that is not too heavy. Lizzie reminds me of a young Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Lizzie has got some skills and feels a certain weight of responsibility, but she has a great inner monlogue and and seems a bit down to earth. I can see myself hanging out with Lizzie. I can imagine that Lizzie is a bit more fun, since she has an entire gang of biker witches hanging out with her and helping her out. I think if Giles was not a nerdy librarian but a huge group of biker witches, some of Buffy's arcs may have gone a bit differently. Although all of the characters were described fairly well, I felt that Lizzie's character was the best written. My opinion is probably related to not reading the first book in which all of the characters were introduced and to the story being written from Lizzie's POV.
This is an urban fantasy romance, so although demon slaying and saving the day are key to the story, there are some "sexy times" included in the book. They are excessive though, and if isn't your thing, you can quickly pass them over. If you are looking for a romance novel though, I would look elsewhere. Something that I really liked about this story is that Lizzie and Dimitri have a pretty serious conversation about their relationship! Lizzie had done something to Dimitri in the previous book that had some pretty serious consequences for him (trying to keep this spoiler free). Instead of hiding it from him, feeling guilty about it, and him discovering what she did on his own, Lizzie talks with him about it! Granted, it is towards the end of the book; however, they have an adult conversation about it. Yea for healthy communication!
I have read a stack of urban fantasy books recently in which there is very little action until the very end of the book. This is not the case with The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers. In this book, there are action sequences throughout the book that were fun and exciting. I never found myself being bored in this book. The pace was nice and quick. My one complaint is that I felt that the final Big Bad fight ended a bit faster than I thought it would, but it did not hinder my enjoyment of the book.
If you are looking for an urban-fantasy romance to read on a cozy winter afternoon, this might be the perfect book for you!
I give this book 3 out of 5 kitties.
10 comments:
I just had to say that the title of this book cracked me up! :) Sorry you didn't love it, but at least it was okay.
Tressa @ Tressa's Wishful Endings
Oh yay, I'm glad this was a fun read. I actually have book 1 - I got it as a freebie - but haven't gotten around to reading it. I'll have to bump it up the list since book 2 was also decent! Great review :-)
The titles for all of these books are pretty fun. :)
I have gotten some kindle freebies over the years that weren't so great. Based on the second book in the series, I would say that the first book will definitely be fun and worth your time. :)
Oh this sounds like a fun read! You know I totally had to go get the freebie of Amazon now... ;) Great Review Pamela! You are brave to just read a sequel like that.. i would probably have started at the beginning anyway.
Chanzie @ Mean Who You Are.
I would have gone back and read the first one, if the sequel was too confusing. Luckily, it wasn't! I hope you enjoy the first book!
I think I have the first book in the series sitting on my Kindle, never thought much of it as I got it as a Freebie ages ago but it looks like picking it up and starting the series would be a good idea.
-Kimberly @ Turning the Pages
I have a book in this series from a friend (borrowed) but havent read it yet. Not sure if it's the first in the series or not.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I would definitely recommend giving the first book a try. I am typically disappointed by freebie books, but I would warrant a guess that the first book in this series is an exception.
Based on the sequel, you will probably have enough info to figure out what is going on, if it is a book later in the series. There were just enough hints and explanations that I felt comfortable reading the book without reading the first one.
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